Friday, September 11, 2015

Marriage: Its Strength Lies in Grace

Since marriage is being mercilessly maligned by secular society, this was a cute way of stating the obvious - marriage isn't perfect, but with grace, love, and humor it will survive.

Case in point: we were 17 and 18 when we married. Forty plus years later, we're still together - despite some rough spots. This is due partly to the inspirational example I observed from my mother during her struggles - including many years of anticipating an annulment. We also understand the order of priority in our marriage - God First, Spouse Second, Children Third.

Of course, copious amounts of grace played the most important role.

So it came as a total shock to see the comments elicited by the humorous and innocuous sentiment the meme in question inspired. Hurtful, ugly, shameful comment after comment was made - and liked by dozens of admirers.

On the other side of the coin is fellow blogger Annie. In honor of her own anniversary, she has compiled blog posts from our Catholic Bloggers Facebook group. Her aim is to show marriage for what it truly is. A sacramental union of a man and a woman - bound together by their common love and God's grace.

In times such as these - with the upheaval concerning same sex 'marriage', rampant cohabitation, high divorce rates, and general disdain for the nuclear family - it's refreshing to see a young bride's efforts to show the world how to do it right.

Dozens of our fellow bloggers have shared their links with Annie. She will need to share them in several installments throughout the next day or so. Reading through these memories might be just the uplifting message you (or someone you know) need at this time. Be sure to check out Catholic Wife, Catholic Lifeto be inspired.

As the Synod on the Family quickly approaches, may we gain strength from our mutual goal of living a grace-filled married life. God bless the family - the foundation of society.

As the family goes, so goes the world. May we strive to be a part of the solution!

NOTE (Sept. 11, 2015): Go check out our mention in Annie's anniversary blog post at Catholic Wife, Catholic Life. It's in the final installment, published today.

Designs by Birgit

Birgit Jones is a 50-something cradle Catholic who is passionate about the Church and the prolife movement. A graduate of Brescia University, she has employed her Bachelor of Art degree in pursuits ranging from Executive Director of Right to Life groups to Field Representative to Congressman Ron Lewis (R-KY).

She has been married to her Catholic convert husband, Rick, for 40 years. They have four children and eight living grandchildren (all age eleven and under). Their frequent visits eliminate any fear of an empty nest!

Birgit can also be found on her personal blog Designs By Birgit and Facebook fan page Designs By Birgit, where she utilizes her advertising and public relations experience to promote Life through her pro-life memes.